Winkworth Arboretum is a National Trust landscape arboretum near Godalming in Surrey, created from 1937 by the physician Dr Wilfrid Fox, who planted its steep valley side with trees the way a painter uses colour. Today it holds more than 1,000 different shrubs and trees across 121 acres, running down to a lake and boathouse. Adult entry is £15 (£16.50 with Gift Aid), National Trust members go free, and autumn is its busiest season.

1. History of Winkworth Arboretum
2. Visiting Winkworth Arboretum: Practical Information
3. Frequently Asked Questions
4. Nearby Chronicle Trails Guides

History of Winkworth Arboretum

The Thorncombe Estate Before the Arboretum

The Thorncombe estate held the land long before there was an arboretum. According to the National Trust, the site shows archaeological evidence of prehistoric and Roman activity, and from the 13th century it passed through a succession of local families as part of the manor of Thorncombe, Bramley.

Captain Edward Rowe Fisher-Rowe bought the estate in 1849 and lived at nearby Thorncombe House. The National Trust records that his son, Herbert Mayow Fisher-Rowe, sold the whole 880-acre estate in 1937 to Eleanor Williamson, Countess Peel, who split it into 27 lots and auctioned them the same year.

Dr Wilfrid Fox

Dr Wilfrid Stephen Fox (1875–1962) was a physician and dermatologist who lived at Winkworth Farm, next to the Thorncombe land. The National Trust explains that he retired from medicine in 1926 and became a founding member and secretary of the Roads Beautifying Association, which campaigned for better roadside planting. That work earned him the Royal Horticultural Society’s Victoria Medal of Honour. He also chaired his family’s import and export firm, Duncan, Fox & Co., from 1939.

When Countess Peel auctioned the estate in 1937, Fox bought 131 acres for £8,620, according to the National Trust. That purchase became the arboretum.

Creating Winkworth Arboretum

Winkworth Arboretum began on a slope of scrub woodland and larch and Douglas fir plantations. The National Trust says Fox started by planting maples, oaks and liquidambars along the upper edge to strengthen the valley’s autumn colour. He took inspiration from the great landscape gardens of Westonbirt, Sheffield Park, Exbury and Leonardslee, and chose species that grow wild in their native countries rather than garden cultivars.

In a 1953 lecture to the Royal Horticultural Society, quoted by the National Trust, Fox compared the choice of how many trees to plant to the difference between an artist painting a picture and a gardener growing plants for their own sake. He chose the artist’s approach, which is why Winkworth is planted in bold drifts of colour.

Winkworth Arboretum in the Second World War

The Second World War interrupted the planting and reshaped the arboretum. The National Trust records that Fox drove two ambulances to France in 1940 and returned at the time of the Dunkirk evacuation, as he had also taken ambulances to France in the First World War.

The Ministry of Supply then ordered the larches at the southern end of the lake, an area called Rowe’s Flashe, to be felled for the war effort. Fox turned the cleared, bowl-shaped slope into the focus of his planting. According to the National Trust, the London staff of his firm, evacuated to Dorking, helped create the Azalea Glade near the boathouse in 1941, and Fox briefly gave it the joking name “The Hitler Glade”. In 1943 he planted more than 50 species of Sorbus, the family that includes rowan and whitebeam, on what is now called Sorbus Hill.

Madeline Spitta

Madeline Spitta (1903–77) was Fox’s secretary and his partner in the work from the start. The National Trust describes her as a horticultural expert in her own right who campaigned for the Royal Horticultural Society to appoint women to its council and later helped manage Winkworth. A maple named after her, Acer davidii ‘Madeline Spitta’, grows in the arboretum.

Winkworth Arboretum and the National Trust

Winkworth Arboretum passed to the National Trust in stages. After the war Fox broadened the planting beyond autumn colour with magnolias and flowering crab-apples for spring, and long-lived oaks and beeches; he declared that “we have thought of posterity and planted long-lived trees”. The National Trust explains that it was at first reluctant to accept the gift, as the arboretum was young and came with no endowment, until three local councils agreed a joint annual payment of £800.

Fox gave 65 acres in 1952 and a further 35 acres in 1957, and chaired the management committee until his death in 1962, aged 87. The National Trust took over full care of the arboretum on 1 January 1988 and has since replanted after storm damage, conserved the boathouse and built new visitor facilities.

Visiting Winkworth Arboretum: Practical Information

Address: Hascombe Road, Godalming, Surrey, GU8 4AD.

Opening hours: In October 2026 the arboretum, car park and shop open 9am to 5pm, and the café 9am to 4.30pm. Last entry is 30 minutes before closing. No pre-booking is needed.

Adult (18+): £15.00, or £16.50 with Gift Aid.

Child (5–17): £7.50, or £8.30 with Gift Aid. Under-5s go free.

Family (2 adults, up to 3 children): £37.50, or £41.30 with Gift Aid.

Family (1 adult, up to 3 children): £22.50, or £24.80 with Gift Aid.

Concessions: No separate concession ticket is listed.

National Trust members: Free entry and free parking. Bring your named membership card.

Parking: Up to 1 hour £1.50, 2–3 hours £2.50, all day £5.00. The car park can fill at weekends and in school holidays.

By train: Godalming station is 2 miles away. The roads from the station have no pavements, so don’t walk; take the No. 42 bus or a taxi. Train travellers can claim National Rail 2 for 1 entry.

By bus: The No. 42 from Godalming town centre stops outside the entrance, Monday to Saturday only. There is no Sunday service.

By taxi: About £12 from Godalming station. Phone signal is limited, so book your return taxi in advance.

Accessibility: The Upper Arboretum has a tarmac accessible path, but other paths are steep and uneven, with steps down to the Lower Arboretum. There are 16 disabled parking spaces, an accessible toilet and a Changing Places facility. A powered mobility vehicle and a manual wheelchair can be booked on 01483 208477 (Upper Arboretum only).

Dogs: Welcome all year on short leads, including in the café and shop.

Facilities: Café, gift shop with plant sales, natural play area, picnic benches in Oak Glade, toilets with baby changing, and six electric vehicle charging points.

Guided walks: Free volunteer-led walks on the second Wednesday of each month at 2pm and the last Friday at 11am. Normal admission applies.

Managing body: The National Trust.

Best time to visit: Autumn is the busiest and most colourful season; arrive early at weekends, when the car park fills.

Nearby: Hydon’s Ball and Oakhurst Cottage, both National Trust places, are linked to Winkworth by the 2.5-mile Winkworth to Oakhurst wonder walk.

Prices last checked: October 2026
Opening hours last checked: October 2026

Full details are on the National Trust’s Winkworth Arboretum page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nearby Chronicle Trails Guides

For another Surrey visit nearby, Watts Gallery in Compton tells the story of a Victorian artists’ village, and the Devil’s Punch Bowl is a short drive west in the Surrey Hills. Browse more Parks & Gardens guides or visit the England hub.